While attending the American Chemical Society meeting in Boston, we attended a planning meeting for the International Year of Chemistry.

Here’s some basic information:

The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) is a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind. Under the unifying theme “Chemistry—our life, our future,” IYC 2011 will offer a range of interactive, entertaining, and educational activities for all ages. The Year of Chemistry is intended to reach across the globe, with opportunities for public participation at the local, regional, and national level.

The goals of IYC2011 are to increase the public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs, to encourage interest in chemistry among young people, and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry. The year 2011 will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize awarded to Madame Marie Curie—an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women to science. The year will also be the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies, providing a chance to highlight the benefits of international scientific collaboration.

Click Here to read more.

There are many ways to participate in the International Year of Chemistry – such as:

• Treating all levels of students, from preschool children to university students, to chemistry demonstrations at appropriate levels
• Organizing visits for members of the public to industrial sites, including manufacturers, chemical producers, or metal and petroleum refiners
• Publicizing the contributions that chemistry makes to the global economy by submitting articles to newspapers and magazines or developing television and radio programs
• Sponsoring poster exhibitions highlighting the usefulness and wonder of chemistry
• Organizing problem-solving projects through which students can use their knowledge of chemistry to develop solutions to local problems
• Publicizing the contributions that chemistry has made to improve lives, particularly recent developments in chemical research
• Holding career fairs at schools at which professionals show how they use chemistry in their jobs.
• Organizing hands-on activities and demonstrations to help participants gain an understanding of what it would be like to work in a chemistry-related field
• Interacting with government leaders to underscore the importance of a strong chemical enterprise

Click Here for more ideas and information.

Please let us know if you are doing anything special for the International Year of Chemistry, especially if what you are doing involves Chromatography.